Full Harvest Moon and Autumn Moon Festival

Tonight is the full moon, my monthly time for action and release: I look again at the “seeds of intention” I planted 2 weeks ago at the new moon and decide on my next steps to take, I take those steps, then I release my expectations in order to clear space for new ideas and new intentions.

This full moon is called the Harvest Moon, because it rises obliquely and remains big and bright for a long time, giving extra light to harvesters.

Today is also the start of Chung Ch’iu, the 3-day Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. It's a happy and beautiful family celebration that comes each year at the time of the full Harvest moon; in China it's celebrated as a harvest festival and also the moon’s birthday. Ancient Chinese emperors worshipped the full harvest moon in order to help assure a good harvest. Later it became popular to appreciate the moon instead- admiring her beauty, and writing poetry in her honor.

Agenda for today:

1. Altar:
It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next month. (For my thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. I ask, what quality of the Spirit do I want to invoke?

Already this month I have added: 

• a dark blue candle, for depth, purpose, and persistence
• a Ganesha plaque-- the image of wisdom, beginnings, and success
• zinnias for resilience

Today I add-

• a photo of me on a raft in the McKenzie River, to remind me of how strong I am
• a painting of a heart, to remind me of how much I love to paint 

2. Journal:
The bright harvest moon is a good time to see things that are normally hidden. Today I will review the intentions I set 2 weeks ago, at the new moon, and also review the goals I set at the beginning of the year.

Do these aims all still seem vital?
What shadowy areas of my life are becoming illuminated? What would I most like to do in life that I’m still not getting to? How can I find the courage I am lacking?

From my journal: I have still not found my way back to painting with any kind of discipline. I want to be a serious painter again, but am resistant to dedicating the time it takes. I am not inspired, and won't allow myself the room to become inspired. I hope that the workshop I am taking this weekend will give me the courage and impetus I need to get back on the path.

3. Practice at my theme:

The full moon is a time to celebrate life-- be more creative, stay up late, exercise harder, and see friends. The bright harvest moon creates the right conditions to act on the work I need to do as this year winds down.

My theme this month is depth- the true course of my life, like a river flowing through a deep ravine. Following my path requires courage, honesty, and persistance. The path is always mysterious, and leads to unexpected challenges and changes. I’m directed back at every turn into the deep waters within myself, to discern the best route.

My intentions for this month are to:

• Evaluate my teaching program and make improvements; open to new teaching possibilities. 
• Return to a morning writing practise, exploring and clarifying my path for this fall.  
• Study and practise abstract painting; renew my passion for painting. 
• Move on: Use my new bike to visit friends, go to classes, exercise, explore, and generally get back out into the world.

4. Make moon cakes:

Normally on this blog I would give you an authentic Chinese recipe, but this simplified recipe has sentimental tradition in our family.

When my children were young, the city library hosted a Moon Festival event every fall, with telescopes, Asian writing and crafts, hot tea, and all the moon cakes you could eat. We went every year. The bakery that made the moon cakes gave us this recipe, an Americanized version, and that's the recipe my family has made and loved for 25 years.

For a similar but more complex and traditional recipe see Food52.

Ingredients:

• sweet red bean paste
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• red food color (optional)

Makes 8 cakes-
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 


Make 8 large marbles of bean paste, and put them in the freezer to chill. (You might need flour on your hands.)

2. Mix together the flour and butter until crumbly. Mix in the sour cream; stir until dough forms into a ball.

3. Knead the dough a few times then divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then pat to flatten into thick 5-inch circles.

4. Put a marble of sweet red bean paste in the center of each circle, fold the edges up over the filling, and seal. Shape each into a fat round moon. If you have a mold, you can press it in now, but it's not necessary.

5. Place moon cakes on an un-greased pan, and dot the center with a chopstick dipped in red food coloring (for good luck). Bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF. Meanwhile, whisk an egg yolk with a little water until smooth.

6. Remove the moon cakes from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then brush on the egg wash, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.

5. Have a Moon Festival Party:

We have invited a few friends for a party tonight, with moon cakes, tea, some fruit (round fruits are a symbol of family unity), and lanterns.

After moon viewing, we will write poetry to show our appreciation of the moon. 

In China, the Moon Festival continues for three days with games and fun. During this time it is believed that flowers fall from the moon and anyone sharp-eyed enough to see them will have very good fortune.